PM did not conceal asset details, lawyer tells SC
Getting benefit from any related persons assets is not crime, Khawaja Harris said.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Sharif family lawyer Khawaja Harris on Wednesday presented his arguments over Panama Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report in Supreme Court (SC) and said that Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif did not conceal asset details.
A three-member SC bench comprising Justice Ejaz Afzal, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan resumed the hearing of Panamagate during which Khawaja Harris said that PM declared all his assets as per law and if there was any concealed property, then JIT would have surely asked about it.
Getting benefit from any related person’s assets is not crime, he added.
Justice Azmat and Justice Ijazul Ahsan said the one grabbing the assets is also an accused.
Justice Ejaz Afzal said the actual case revolves around the Sharif family’s property made in 1990s as money trail of this era is unclear. Justice Ijaz remarked the bench didn’t get answer of how money was transferred to London from Saudi Arabia and Qatar to purchase the flats.
Without the answer of these questions the other queries are of secondary importance, Justice Ijaz added.
He continued that the basic question is when and how London flats were purchased while Justice Azmat said that we know the definition of unnamed person over which the counsel argued that JIT also declared Nawaz Sharif not an owner of these flats.
The lawyer told the bench that PM’s daughter Maryam Nawaz was partner in Huddaibiya Paper Mills and that the premier had provided all the details of family’s joint assets. PM has no connection with any transition related to London flats, he added.
Justice Ijaz said that volume 4 of JIT report contains trust deed on which Khawaja Harris stated that JIT asked about it from the PM during his appearance.
JIT extracted results from the trust deed, terming London flats are Sharif family’s joint property, said Justice Ijaz.
Khawaja Harris said that there are no such documents present that show PM as owner of these flats. Justice Azmat said we are tired of asking again and again about the real owner of London flats and that offshore companies were made to hide the details of these flats.
Justice Ijaz remarked that Hussain Nawaz didn’t present any record that can show him as owner of London flats but the documents are clearly pointing at Maryam Nawaz as beneficial proprietor of these flats.
Talking on the formation of Hill Metal, Justice Azmat asked about the source of money and also said that its profit was given to the PM over which Khawaja Harris said that may be answer of this question will be given by Hassan or Hussain’s lawyer.
Subsequently, Sharif family lawyer has completed his arguments.